Bihar Assembly Elections: UAPA Accused Sharjeel Imam Seeks Interim Bail to Campaign from October 15 to 29
Imam, in custody since 2020 under UAPA has sought temporary bail from Delhi court to campaign as an independent candidate in Bihar’s Bahadurganj constituency
Sharjeel Imam seeks interim bail from Delhi court to contest Bihar Assembly elections as independent candidate from Bahadurganj
2020 Delhi riots case, accused Sharjeel Imam, who has been in judicial custody for over five years in connection with the Delhi riots conspiracy case, has moved a Delhi Court seeking interim bail to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
Imam has sought release from October 15 to October 29 to campaign for the polls, where he plans to contest as an independent candidate from Bahadurganj constituency in Kishanganj district. The seat goes to polls on November 11, while results will be declared on November 14.
The interim bail plea has been filed before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts, who is hearing the larger conspiracy case arising from the February 2020 Delhi riots.
Imam, a native of Kako village in Jehanabad, has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since January 2020, following his arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). His earlier plea for bail was rejected by the Delhi High Court, which held that there was no ground for release at this stage of trial. The matter is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
The Bahadurganj seat is presently represented by Mohammad Anzar Nayeemi, who was elected on an AIMIM ticket in 2020 but later joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Imam along with 4 other UAPA Accused have filed a Special Leave petition (SLP) before the Apex Court challenging the Delhi High Court's September 2, order denying bail to them.
Notably on July 9, 2025, the High Court had reserved its verdict after briefly hearing submissions from the prosecution as well as from counsels representing the accused persons, namely Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Athar Khan, Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, and Shadab.
Imam’s bail plea, had been rejected by ASJ Sameer Bajpai on February 11, 2022, observing that his speeches were intended to create “public disorder” and “incitement to violence” while also appearing to challenge the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India. The Supreme Court had more recently refused to entertain Imam’s Article 32 petition, noting that he could not have approached the top court while his bail plea was pending before the High Court.
Previously, the Supreme Court had also refused to entertain an Article 32 petition filed by Fatima who had submitted before Court that she had been in jail for 4 years while her bail application has been pending for last 2 and a half years. As per the ASJ Amitabh Rawat's order of March 17, 2022 whereby it had rejected Gulfisha’s bail, Court had found that Gulfisha was present in North East Delhi at the time of the riots and as per witness statements, she was the one who started the blockade and prompted an attack on police personnel and others with weapons like dande, Lal-mirch powder and others in Jafrabad area which had a "cascading effect leading to riots". As per the trial court's order, Gulfisha was also present at a midnight secret meeting on 16/17.02.2020 at Chand Bagh for chakkajam. She was also involved in the incident of 22.02.2020 at Jafrabad Metro Station.